The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-05-14
Boys n rennsyIvanfa Mines Who


Philadelphia NewS writes: Boys are
employ cd in various occupations in the
anthracite coal mines. A glance at the
payroll of any big company reveal,
the fact how useful they are. Run
your eye down the column headed
Occupation" and every once in while
you see the word ''rat- catcher" A.
this is as distinct u feature of employ
ment as the driver slate-plcker, door
render and so on, it excites no particular
attention among those who understand
it. The rat-catcher is paid 30 cents 6
day, and his special duty is to guard
the bins where the feed for the mules
Is stored against the invasion of the 70.
dents The mine rat is as large rs his
brother of the wharf llo sub.
sists upon the refuse of the ieed-troughs
and the crumbs that drop from the fru.
gal lunchoons of the miners. They in.
habit all parts of the collery and FIND
sheir way into the creviccs far beyond
The each of the miner. They are use.
full in one way, however, and for thi.
reason are fed and protected by many
who labor in the dark and dis
tant chambers of the subterranear
depths. The rat instinctivcly knows
where crush from above is to come,
and when a miner secs him leaping
about him or hears them scampering
of along the gangways toward the
shaft he knows something is wrong
and follows them at once. There are
many instances on record where the
rats were the first TO give warning OF
danger from which men have fled in
safety and without which they NIGH
have persisted.
Naturally the professional rat-catch
er grows fosd of his exciting pastime,
and, like tho hunter, tries to bag al
the game he can. Recently Il spirit OF
enthusiasm broke out between several
rat-catchers employed in the Diamond
and Empire collieries, which wa:
kindlcd into flame by the offer of q
prize of So to the boy who would
slaughter the most rats in thirty days.
RAT Catcher Dick" little red head
cd fellow not over ten or a dozen years
old, had long been recognized as the
champion He is employed in the EN-.
pire and had made a record of killing
800 rats in six days, This had never
been beaten Indeed the only approx.
mate work had been done by "Blinky|
Bill" twelve-year-old, of the
Diamond, who had record of 27l.
When the prize was offered the boys
all set to work with will. 1t was
stipulated that they were to do the
work separately and unaided. Judges
were quietly appointed to see that the
articles of agreement were done fairly
and carried out During the progress
of the slaughter Dick" of the En-
pre, was the favorite in the pools,
"Blinky Bill' selling second. There
were other lads in the contest, but il
was generally agreed that one of these
two would carry off the prize.
As the days passed the miners got
deeply interested. Even certain sport
ing men in this city paid more or less
attention to the rat-klling contest, and
when the final weeks run was on every
gambler in town was backing one. of
the boys. News from the Diamond and
Empire was anxiously awaited in some
of,the saloons each night rs to the count.
The reports were very conflicting. All
sorts of stories were set alloat rs to the
record of "Dick' and "Bll." Both
the lads kept their own modths shut
close. Nobody could get word out
of either, and nobody really knew what
each was doing. Even the watchers
were in the dark. The contest closed
on Monday night. and great crowds
flocked into several sporting places IN
town to hear the result. The judges
gave sworn testimony of the coun {.
The score for the the thirty days kill
ing stood as follows: Dick, 2,4l9; Bill,
l,956-an average of eighty rats day
for Dick and sixty-iive for Bill. Dicks
biggest week was the last. when he
killed no less than 6lS rodents. A
careful estimate places the weight of
the rats slaughtered by Dick at over
four tons. A purse was made up and
presented to ''Blinky Bill" Dicks
method. it is said, of catching the rats
was by fixing barrels along the runways
and by setting lines with baited hooks
for them. He is proud of the cham